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Hypocrisy Strikes Again

15/06/2015 By Dave McFarlane Leave a Comment

Editorial:  How often in the recent past have we had pastors, reporters and people in power rant and rave about gays and the sin they do, and then we discover they are either closet gay themselves or have led adulterous lives.  Who is doing the most harm I wonder?

Reprinted from  THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015

Michigan Grindr pastor urged gay teen to kill himself, says mom

The closeted father of five told a gay 17-year-old he was going to hell, so he might as well go now

Michigan Grindr pastor urged gay teen to kill himself, says mom

Michigan Grindr pastor urged gay teen to kill himself, says mom
Jennifer Kish, Tyler Kish (WNEM)
The recently outed anti-gay pastor Matthew Makela is coming under fire not just for his hypocrisy but, according to the mother of one of his parishioners, he encouraged her gay son that since he was going to hell anyway, he might as well kill himself.
After Queerty reported earlier this week that the married Midland, Michigan pastor used the Grindr networking app to chat with, and solicit sex from, other men. St. John’s Lutheran Church, where Makela worked until his resignation on Monday, issued a statement urging people not to read any more about Makela or his “sin.”
“The details of sin that have been kept confidential are being posted online by those who seek to do harm to the Makela family and to St. John’s,” the statement said. “This is taking an already difficult situation and making it even more painful. I write this to you to warn you that you may be confronted with the details of the sin, and to remind you that sin is never pretty.”
The writer of the Queerty article disagreed, claiming that “[i]f Makela made even one LGBT kid at St. John’s ‘Christ-based’ elementary school, their parents, friends, family or anyone who ever stepped foot in the church feel like being true to yourself is shameful (and it seems all too likely that he did), then we’re glad to share his hypocrisy with the world.”
According to Jennifer Kisk, Makela did far worse than make his LGBT parishioners uncomfortable — he actively urged them to kill themselves. As WNEM’s David Custer reported, Makela told then 17-year-old Tyler Kish — who was suffering from depression at the time — that if he insisted on embracing a homosexual lifestyle, he might as well commit the mortal sin of suicide because he was already ticketed for hell.
“If he’s going to hell for being gay then he might as well commit suicide,” Kish said Makela advised her son. He also, she alleged, went on social media to berate her for remaining supportive of her son after he came out to her.
Watch Custer’s interview with the Kishes below via WNEM.
WNEM TV 5 – CLICK THE LINK FOR THE VIDEO
 

Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia Tagged With: lgbt youth suicide, pastor

Toolkit to help prevent suicide in LGBT youth

14/03/2015 By David McFarlane Leave a Comment

RCN launches toolkit to help prevent suicide in LGBT youth

Reprinted from Royal College of NursingPublished: 13 March 2015

The RCN, in collaboration with Public Health England (PHE), has launched a toolkit to guide nurses and other health professionals in the prevention of suicide in lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) young people.
LGBT youth are at a higher risk of suicide than their heterosexual peers due to the impact and fear of stigma, discrimination and rejection from society.

Reducing the risk of suicide

The toolkit aims to equip nurses with the knowledge and skills to provide effective support to LGBT young people and help reduce the risk of suicide.
The National Aids Trust recently reported that 99% of LGBT teenagers had received abuse from school mates due to their sexual orientation, whilst a 2014 study by METRO Centre found that 44% of LGB youth had thought of suicide and half had experience of self-harm.

Nurses are uniquely placed

Nurses are uniquely placed to support LGBT young people who have not accessed mental health services.
The toolkit provides insight into the experiences of LGBT young people, and offers practical advice and resources on key areas including:
• Risk factors
• Confidentiality and consent
• Effective communication
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN, said:
“Suicide in any situation is a tragedy and nurses have a duty to identify risk factors and prevent suicide wherever possible.
“The RCN is dedicated to addressing the problems facing lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Our ambition for this toolkit is to help nurses deliver the best possible care to LBG young people experiencing mental health issues, in order to help save lives across the UK.

An important and often overlooked issue

Dr Carter added: “This toolkit should help to highlight an important and often overlooked issue, and should ultimately be integrated into the National Suicide Prevention Strategy to ensure LGB young people receive the support they deserve.”
The toolkit is available to download from the Gov.uk website

The It Gets Better Project is just one of many organizations dedicated to preventing LGBT teen

The It Gets Better Project is just one of many organizations dedicated to preventing LGBT teen


Awareness and Prevention Of Suicide Among LGBT Teens
 

Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia Tagged With: guidelines, lgbt youth suicide, royal college of nursing

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